By KALOBWE BWALYA
THE Immigration Department should leave the Sunzu family alone and stop making themselves relevant at the expense of innocent people, Young Development Organisation (YDO) executive director Partner Siabutuba has said.
Mr Siabutuba questioned why the Immigration Department had waited 40 years to go after footballer, Stophilla Sunzu’s father, Felix Sunzu Sr, if it suspected he had been in the country illegally.
In a shocking revelation, the Immigration announced that Mr. Sunzu Sr was among 20 persons rounded up during a routine clean-up operation conducted within Chililabombwe in the early hours of Monday with support from other security wings.
Mr. Sunzu, together with five members of his household, were picked by the officers after he allegedly failed to produce documentation to prove his legal immigration status.
Immigration has since summoned him to appear at its Kasumbalesa Border offices.
Mr Siabutuba however said in an interview that the pursuit of Mr Sunzu by the Immigration Department was only meant to harass the family and paint the government black.
He said the action of the Immigration Department would now be perceived as political and that people had already started pointing fingers.
“The Immigration Department is playing the game of blackmail on the current government. Why should it be the business of the UPND government to deal with the Sunzu family,” said Mr Siabutuba.
He called on the Immigration Department to remain professional in the manner they executed their duties.
Mr Siabutuba said the department should avoid finding itself in situations which could be misconstrued by the public.
“The timing is wrong as the current political landscape as well as the political discourse is not stable,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party has expressed disappointment that a team of Immigration officials visited the Sunzu family to investigate and ascertain the nationality of the family.
DP president Harry Kalaba said the party found it strange that the Immigration Department has suddenly come to a realization that Mr Sunzu was not Zambian.
And a source close to the family has however told the Daily Nation that some security wing officers had reportedly questioned Mr Sunzu about his son, Stophila’s tenancy agreement with former republican President Edgar Lungu.
It is believed Mr Sunzu, whose house was raided at 02:00 hours allegedly refused to give the officers any information.
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